Mapping OKRs in Jira

[David Nadri]

Hello Atlassian Community:

Would like to start a discussion around how Atlassian and other companies incorporate Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) into their Jira workflow?

Here's a scenario: A team runs the OKR Play and completes writing up their OKRs for the quarter using the Confluence OKRs template:

1. How can they now map each Objective in Jira?
2. How can they then map each Key Result of an Objective in Jira? 
3. How can they then link feature candidates (story tickets) to each Key Result? Feature Candidates are the features or work items we pull from the backlog of 1 or more Jira projects during sprint planning which we THINK will help achieve our key results.
   
   

The goal is for these associations to be dynamic so that if, for example, a product manager updates an Objective or Key Result, the feature candidates that link to them reflect these changes. 

Similarly to how epics and the stories that roll up into them can be used as a mechanism to tell the story of how you arrived at the current state of a feature or product, it's important for anyone looking at a Jira story ticket to be able to see which Key Result it is linked to and which Objective it is linked to (i.e.: similar to the way Epic Links work).

I've read many articles which help explain what OKRs are and how to create them, however I haven't found 1 guide as to how to actually setup Jira to use OKRs. 

https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/okrs

https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/templates/okrs

For example, the first article mentions that OKRs have been deployed at Atlassian itself, but not exactly how Atlassian uses Jira to integrate their OKRs:
https://www.atlassian.com/blog/jira-align/scaled-agile-okrs

A step-by-step guide on how to map OKRs in Jira would be super helpful!

[Weronika Spaleniak Appfire]

How about a Jira plugin that would help you manage the OKRs in Jira without having to switch to an additional platform?

Then, you won't have the issue with mapping Jira issues to objectives and key results, but you could still easily connect the Jira issues to the OKRs you've created in the plugin.

You can see how it works in our OKRs for Jira. We're developing the tool constantly, trying to be as user-friendly as possible and to really help Atlassian users in their OKR journeys. The plugin is also very affordable.

Best,

Weronika Spaleniak

Product Lead @ Digital Toucan

[Margo Sakova - OKR Board for Jira by Oboard]

Hi @David Nadri 

It's been a while, but a step-by-step guide on how to map OKRs in Jira now exists 😁

I've covered 4 configuration methods there, 2 of which are completely free, 1 requires a Premium Jira subscription and 1 is free up to 10 Jira users.

Would also love to know which setup you came to in your specific case. 

[David Nadri]

Hey @Margo Sakova - OKR Board for Jira by Oboard - thanks for sharing! 

I've tried a couple different approaches since then, but nothing stuck.

I've actually been experimenting with one of the methods your article mentions - using Jira Product Discovery (JPD) -- basically, with the objective as a goal in Atlas, the key result as a custom field, and both are connected to an idea in JPD. 

The biggest missing piece is a single, hierarchical, & holistic view from goals & ideas down to delivery tickets in one tool, like JPD (see attached diagram)

Happy to connect and chat more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidnadri/ 

[Margo Sakova - OKR Board for Jira by Oboard]

@David Nadri, which Jira license are you currently using?

Based on your requirements, Advanced Roadmaps (Jira Premium only) might be a suitable option. It allows you to create additional hierarchy levels and consolidate them in "Plans."

P.S. I've sent you a LinkedIn invitation, so feel free to connect with me there if you have any questions or suggestions.